


ARK-779

by EchoMB90



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Aliens, Death, Friendship, Heartbreak, Hyunho - Freeform, M/M, Multi, Organism, Outer Space, Romance, Sadness, Space Stations, Survival, Survival Horror, Suspence, Thriller, Tragedy, alien attack, chaotic - Freeform, kpop, scientist, stray kids - Freeform, working together
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-27 10:01:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30121071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EchoMB90/pseuds/EchoMB90
Summary: It was supposed to be the final trial to see if the station was fit for people to begin living there permanently. A small populace of people were already living on the space station known as ARK-779. Scientists, doctors, militant police and a few families that all work together to make the station run smoothly.One night, a meteor shower pelted the ARK, threatening it's stability and structure. However, it wasn't the only thing that threatened ARK-779. Unknown organisms have gotten on board, threatening the populace within. With people falling victim to the ever evolving organisms and the threat of the station falling apart, everyone's life is on the line. Its only a matter of when will help arrive and will it be too late by the time it gets there?
Relationships: Bang Chan/Hwang Hyunjin, Hwang Hyunjin & Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin - Relationship, Hwang Hyunjin/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Comments: 5
Kudos: 6





	1. Prologue

It was so loud, like bombs dropping all around you. The sound of crumpling metal had woken Hyunjin from his peaceful slumber. The twenty year old male shot straight up in bed, eyes wide from the sudden shock of being woken. His wide, shocked gaze quickly darted around the room searching for the source of the explosions only to shoot up towards the ceiling itself as it became apparent it wasn't coming from inside the room. He quickly threw the blankets off of himself, swinging his pajama clad legs out of bed and slipped a pair of slippers on that sat beside his bed. 

Standing, Hyunjin didn't bother with switching on a light, seeing no point in doing so as he exited from his bedroom. The first thing he noted was the door open, welcoming anyone who wanted to come inside if they so wished. The second thing he realized, his father wasn't anywhere nearby which meant he had been the one to leave the door open. A soft sigh slipped from his lips as he crossed the living room to the door of his and his father's home. He exited into the corridor which was far noisier than his room had been moments before. Sirens were blaring and the red hazard lights flashed within the dark hallway, painting everything a crimson color. The corridor was rapidly filling with the residence of the space station, adults and children alike curious as to what was going on. Crying children added to the noise and the loud shushes coming from the parents as they tried to calm their distressed child didn't help anything. Those that didn't try to care for their children sought out his father, the Director of ARK-779, the station that he and many others had called home for the past half a year now. 

Surprisingly, Hyunjin was able to hear his father's booming voice over all the chaotic noise, however, he couldn't seem to pinpoint where the man was. His voice seeming to bounce off the walls, seeming to come from everywhere. 

While looking around for his father, Hyunjin spotted a familiar face making their way through the crowd of people. Christopher Bang was his name, and though only three years older than Hyunjin, he was head of his own military squadron within the police force. He was shorter than Hyunjin by a few inches, but that didn't change the fact that he could take him down with a swift swipe of his foot. Christopher's bright red hair glowed within the bright light of the hazard lights, making Hyunjin quietly giggle to himself. 

"Chris!"

Hyunjin yelled over the multitude of sounds that emanated within the corridor. He waited for half a second before coming to the conclusion that Christopher had not heard him since he went without a bit of acknowledgment. 

Covering his ears to block out some of the noise, Hyunjin crossed the corridor over to where Christopher had stopped, typing something into a square panel on the white walls of the station. 

"CHRISTOPHER!"

He yelled once more, only this time the sirens had stopped and darkness overtook the entirety of the corridor. Hyunjin could feel the wary looks that people were giving him at that moment, his gaze drifting over his shoulder to look even though he couldn't see the people's faces in the pitch blackness. He turned back to face Christopher when the male rested a hand upon his shoulder. A soft embarrassed blush crossed over Hyunjin's cheeks as he wished he could just disappear from where he stood, part of him was glad that it was pitch black, though another part knew it wouldn't last. He flinched when Christopher pulled out a small flashlight and switched it on, bringing a small beam of light to the corridor. He shined it directly at Hyunjin with an amused smile on his lips. 

"No need to yell. . ." 

Christopher's gaze dropped momentarily to the blue pajama bottoms Hyunjin wore with the white sheep on them. The amusement never left Christopher's face, in fact, he was certain that it only grew as the male lifted his gaze back up to meet his. 

". . .cute pajamas." 

"Oh hush, I didn't have a chance to change. You know, kinda surprised awake by all of this." 

Hyunjin pushed away the flashlight and smiled a bit, however, the smile disappeared as worry and curiosity took place of his earlier smile. 

"What's going on? What was all that noise a second ago?" 

Sighing, Christopher combed his fingers through his bright red hair, his eyes shifting around as more beams of light flashed on around them. Other people bringing out their flashlights to help them see within the pitch blackness surrounding them. 

"I think. . ." 

"If everyone will please calm down, there is nothing to worry about. I will explain what has happened." 

Both Hyunjin and Christopher turned their attention towards the man speaking. Hyunjin's father had drug out a chair from someone's home, more than likely their dining room chair, and climbed up onto it. A flashlight was in hand as he peered over the gathering people, the chattering quieting to a dull whisper as his father continued with his speech. 

"From what I gather, we just witnessed our first meteor shower out here. Something we will have to be prepared for living out here in space. Yes, it has knocked out the power, we are working on getting that back up right now. I want to assure you, according to our lead scientist here on the station, we have suffered nothing more than a few dings and scrapes. Nothing that can't be easily fixed."

"See, nothing to worry about." 

Christopher smiled, excusing himself to go speak with a family that was still slightly shaken from the incident. Hyunjin nodded, turning his attention towards Christopher momentarily until it shot up to the creaking ceiling. It sounded like the metal pulling apart from itself, which didn't help Hyunjin's anxiety over the matter one bit. 

"Yeah, nothing to worry about." 

He muttered softly to himself, the lights flashing on in that moment. Hyunjin flinched against the sudden bright light that assaulted his retinas, blinking his eyes to get them to adjust to the light. Not once did his eyes move from the ceiling, hoping his father was right and everything would be alright, that there was nothing to worry about. With that thought in mind, Hyunjin turned and slowly made his way back to his room for a couple extra hours of restless sleep.


	2. Chapter 1

After having returned to bed for another couple of hours, Hyunjin awoke to his alarm going off. The sound startled him from his slumber, his eyes lazily opening as he slammed his hand down on the snooze button to silence his clock. Slowly, he rose from his bed and made his way into the bathroom where he began his daily routine of getting ready for the day. He showered, dressed in a simple pair of blue jeans, white t-shirt and a red jacket to complete the look, Hyunjin was ready for the day that awaited him. 

Skipping breakfast that morning --something he usually never did-- he left his home and stepped out into the corridor. Unlike a few hours ago, the corridor was quiet, not as many people were out roaming around and the few that were kept their conversations to a mild whisper. Hyunjin could only imagine what they were saying. More than likely keeping their thoughts between one another so no unwanted ears could hear them. All it did was leave him feeling awkward and anxious at the same time, like being in public he was invading someone's privacy.

Hyunjin brushed a few strands of his jet black hair out of his eyes as he approached the nearby elevators. He simply pressed the button, turning his attention up to the lights that signified what floor the elevator was currently on. Someone must have gotten on on one of the upper levels of the station as the elevator was taking it's sweet time coming down to level two of the station. 

The station itself had three levels to it, as well as one sub-level. The first level of the station contained the laboratories and medical facilities, nothing too exciting there. Then there was the second level which was where Hyunjin currently was that held all the residential homes, the cafeteria as well as the meeting rooms that were usually home to board meetings or school gatherings. The third level was more for storage, it had the storage hangar but also was where the engineering staff worked to maintain the electrical working of the entire station. That left the sub-level which is where Hyunjin was currently heading. 

The sub level held the a small observation deck that connected to the stations docking bays and security offices. It was a peaceful place and very few people actually visited the location. It was a great place to just get away from everything and clear your mind. 

As the light stopped on the level he was on, the doors slowly opened wide revealing the small group of people inside. Some of the people Hyunjin recognized right away, others he had no idea who they were and figured they must have been new to the station. Each one of those people exited the elevator, chatting away and not paying attention to what was actually in front of them. The group had forced the young man to step out of the way or get trampled by a dozen feet. Hyunjin had moved off to the side, nearly escaping the cluster without running into anyone. However, one person had strayed from the group a bit and nearly collided with Hyunjin. 

A surprised gasp escaped from Hyunjin's lips as he overcompensated while trying to correct his footing so he wouldn't play bumper bodies with the male. The man in the white lab coat quickly reached out, grabbing hold of Hyunjin's wrist and just as quickly tugging him closer so he wouldn't fall. 

"Careful now, wouldn't want you to get hurt." 

Those few words had Hyunjin's gaze shooting up to meet the mystery male. He was met with a strikingly beautiful pair of kind brown eyes staring right back into his own. The male couldn't have been much taller than he was, maybe a few inches shorter. Being so close to someone so kind --and attractive-- had briefly stunned him until the male pulled away to leave. He watched as the man jogged to catch up to his colleagues, his heart thrumming in his chest for reasons he didn't understand. 

"Yes sir. . ." 

Hyunjin muttered softly under his breath, watching as the group of white lab coats quickly vanished around the corner. He was so focused on the retreating scientist that he hadn't noticed anyone from the other direction had approached him. 

"What ya looking at?" 

Jumping slightly, Hyunjin blinked from his stunned state and quickly turned his attention towards the person who broke through his sudden awe. It was of course, none other than his best friend, Yang Jongin.

The boy was younger than him by a year and he saw him more of a little brother figure than a friend really. He was only a couple inches shorter than himself, always smiling and bringing sunshine to whoever he was around. The boys was such a sweetheart, but he also had a habit of being nosy and loved to tease Hyunjin any chance he could get. Jongin in every sense was a sweet yet cheeky kid with a big heart. 

"Oh. . .uh, it's nothing. Nothing, I just got lost in thought." 

"Uh-huh, sure you were. You were looking at that scientist weren't you?" 

"What!? No, I was doing no such thing." 

Turning around, Hyunjin made his retreat into the elevator to try and avoid anymore questions. He could hear Jongin's amused laughter from inside the metal box he stood in, only for the nineteen year old to join him inside. 

"You know, it's not a bad thing that you were. It's nice to see you taking an interest in someone other than Christopher." 

Hyunjin shot Jongin a glare, not liking the comment he had made. The younger male threw his hands up in surrender, playfully stepping back away from his older friend. His amused smile never left his lips even as Hyunjin's wary look stayed locked on him. Pressing the button that would take them up to the sub level that the observation deck was on, Hyunjin tried to ignore the amusement radiating off his friend. As soon as the doors closed, he let out a long slow sigh to try and relax himself so he wouldn't bite anyone's head off.

"Sorry for seeming grumpy, I didn't exactly sleep much last night." 

"I don't think anyone got much sleep last night. That meteor shower came out of nowhere." 

"Yeah, I know." 

The elevator doors opened seconds later, revealing a box-like room with three corridors. The blast doors to the first corridor straight ahead of them were closed at all times, unless someone were to use them to enter and exit the station. The other two were left wide open, the one on the left leading to their destination, the one on the right led to the main security office where they kept an eye on the entire station. 

"You know, you would think that those running the colonization program would have prepared everyone for meteor showers like that. It was as if no one was prepared or even knew it could possibly happen." 

Jongin had made a very good point, he hadn't realized that little fact until now. Hyunjin nodded as he stepped out of the elevator with the younger male and into the square room before them. 

"You're right, it was as if they weren't prepared in any way. Everyone was in an utter panic like they had no idea what was happening." 

"Now you're just repeating what I said, just in a different context." 

Jongin chuckled, amused at Hyunjin's repetitiveness.

The older male stared for a second, shaking his head while grinning sheepishly. He hadn't meant to repeat the younger boy's thoughts. To him, he had just been reiterating the statement to make sure he had the thought right. 

"Sorry, didn't mean to." 

Hyunjin motioned for Jongin to follow, leading him down the corridor on their left to their destination. The two of them were quiet as they entered onto the observation deck. A single sidewalk extended through the large orbital dome of glass that revealed the outside universe. The stars shining brightly before them, stretching out as far as the eye could see and then some. There were small nicks in the glass, obviously from the meteor shower that had taken place the prior evening. Hyunjin hoped that it wasn't going to be a problem, no one needed the glass shattering. The whole observation deck could potentially become the largest vacuum ever if the glass were to shatter in any way. 

Moving to the side, Hyunjin leaned against the railing on the bridge while turning his attention onto Jongin, who thought it best to sit in the middle of the walkway cross legged. 

"Why do you think they would keep something like that from everyone?" 

"I don't know Innie, but I feel it could be to get more people here. More people guarantees the colonization program is a go." 

"You don't think those in charge were tricking people into becoming part of the program, do you?" 

Looking at Jongin, Hyunjin shot the younger male a warning gaze. They may have been alone on the observation deck, but the station had eyes and ears everywhere. He didn't want Jongin to get into trouble for voicing his opinion about something he shouldn't. On top of that, his own father was the director of the station and part of the colonization program committee. Hyunjin didn't want anyone thinking or saying anything poorly about his father. 

His father wouldn't do something like that though, would he?

"Right, sorry. . ." 

"Just be careful with what you say, some people don't like the nega. . ." 

Frowning at his younger friend, Hyunjin turned his attention over his shoulder after catching the frightened look in Jongin's eyes. Quickly, he turned his head back towards Jongin once more and shot him a slightly panicked look. 

"What? What is it?" 

"I saw, actually. . .I don't know what I saw." 

Hyunjin looked over his shoulder once more, turning fully around with his hands grasping the bridge's metal railing for support. He leaned over, looking over the edge and down at the lower part of the glass sphere that surrounded them.

"I don't see anyth-aah!" 

Jumping, Hyunjin screamed when Jongin's hands grasped at his sides and startled him briefly with a playful scream. The older male caught himself before he accidentally threw himself over the edge, whipping around wide eyed. His gaze landed on a laughing Jongin, complete shock coursing through him.

"Don't do that!" 

Still laughing, Jongin shook his head while his arms wrapped around his mid-section. 

"I'm sorry, but you should have seen your face." 

"I could have fallen, gosh, you nearly gave me a heart attack." 

Calming his once again racing heart, a sigh slipped from his lips as the fright slowly ebbed within him. Jongin's laughter was calming as he wiped tears that had formed in the corners of his eyes. 

"I'm really sorry. Everything was getting too serious, I had to do something." 

Without another word, both males turned their attention in the direction that they had come from not moments before. 

"I swear, I was just playing." 

Jongin said as the sound of the blast doors opening up reached their ears. The whoosh of air escaping from the inner room behind the blast doors was hard to miss. It didn't end there, the sound of a terrified and distressed screaming echoed throughout the sector. 

"Those were the docking bay doors, was someone actually out there?" 

It wasn't uncommon for personnel to go on space walks, using the docking bay as their exit and entrance to do so. He wouldn't have been surprised if it was someone who had gone out to check on the space station's exterior after that meteor shower took place. 

Hyunjin's earlier question had been discarded as Jongin made his own sudden statement.

"We should go see if the person needs help, he sounds like he's in so much pain." 

"Yeah, let's go." 

Even though the security office was not far from the docking bay and the observation deck, Hyunjin and Jongin ran across the bridge and back towards where they got off the elevator earlier. The two hoped that it was a simple panic from someone who had never been on a space walk and not anything else. 

Then again, what else could it be?


	3. Chapter 2

The two boys arrived to a terrifying sight, a man in a spacesuit was clawing at his helmet in an attempt to get it off. He was screaming at the top of his lungs, inaudible words muffled by the very helmet the man struggled with. Jongin was frozen in terror, afraid of what was happening before his eyes. Hyunjin on the other hand, moved forward without hesitation, rushing to the aid of the screaming space man. Footsteps could be heard from down the other hallway, certain that any minute now a group of security officers would be surrounding the area to contain whatever chaos was happening. 

"Hold on, stop moving and I'll get this off of you." 

Fighting with the distressed male, Hyunjin finally unlatched the helmet and helped the poor male remove it. What was revealed looked like something out of a horror film. The man's face looked as if something had been eating at it. Flesh looked stripped away, chunks missing from the man's right cheek and corner of his mouth revealed the man's now blood covered teeth. Adding to the crimson coloring, blood dripped from the wounds that were obviously the reason for the man's distress. All the while, he worked on trying to get off his suit as if the very thing were suffocating him. 

A terrified scream came from behind him, Hyunjin's head whipping around towards the owner of the scream. Jongin was terrified, the man's bloodied appearance getting to him rather easily. Hyunjin turned back around quickly, only because he felt a pair of hands upon his shoulders as if using him as some sort of crutch. 

"Help. . .me. . ."

Terror resonated within Hyunjin's own wide eyes as the man held onto his shoulders tightly, keeping him in place. He attempted to move back, dropping the helmet he was holding to the ground. 

"Don't. . .let it. . .in. . ."

"Let go of me!" 

Hyunjin cried out, a sudden panic forming within him as he struggled against the tight grasp of the unknown male. His eyes only becoming wide with fear as long black spider-like legs started to curl up and over the edge of the space suit. The legs were the same thickness as drumsticks and pointed at the tip, the length still couldn't be determined. The man began to hyperventilate as a terrified scream ripped from Hyunjin as his struggle became more intense. 

"Get away! Oh my god! What is that!? LET GO!" 

From the corner of his eyes, Hyunjin spotted the security squad run into the area. Jongin had disappeared behind the men in uniform, hoping for some distance and safety from the bloodied man. 

"Oh god. . ."

Hyunjin heard one of the officers say, sounding so much like Christopher. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had been him. 

"Sir, I'm asking you to let go of the young man and step away now." 

"Don't let it in. . .shoot. . .it!" 

The bloodied man demanded, ignoring the recent demands of the security officer. The sounds of weapons being drawn reached Hyunjin's ears, it also seemed to catch the crazed man's attention as well. His crazed and panicked eyes shifting towards the officers that were now aiming their weapons at him. 

"Yes! Yes! Kill. . .Kill it!" 

His hands left Hyunjin, practically pushing him away as he walked towards the security squad. 

"Stop right where you are!" 

Christopher's voice echoed around the room. However, when the man still didn't stop, all guns were raised and cocked ready to fire at their pursuer. 

"I said stop or we'll shoot!" 

The man still didn't stop, even after all the warnings. Gunfire rang out around the room, bullets hitting their mark as they pierced the man's body and halted his advancements. Jongin's hands instantly covered his ears as he crouched behind the wall of officers. Hyunjin had just as quickly covered his ears, now sat on the floor where he had stumbled and landed after being pushed. 

Crimson soaked the outside of the space suit, the man immediately collapsing down to the ground. All eyes were on the space man, Hyunjin watching to see if those legs emerged from the suit once more. However, they seemed to have retracted back within the confines of it's fabricated shield. The man no longer moved, Hyunjin's hands slowly dropped from his ears as he stared in shock. Jongin sat trembling near the officers, just as shocked and scared as Hyunjin had been, maybe even more so.

As a hand rested down upon Hyunjin's trembling shoulder, he jumped, quickly turning to look at the person who now crouched beside him. Christopher was there, looking at him with worry in his eyes. Hyunjin wondered when he had even come over, he hadn't heard any movement around. 

"You alright?" 

It took a moment for Hyunjin to process what had actually been said, that something actually had been said to him. His brain had momentarily frozen in fear making thinking difficult. 

"Jinnie, are you alright?" 

Christopher's worry was ever growing as the younger male didn't respond. Slowly, Hyunjin blinked his eyes, nodding just as slowly. His attention turned back towards the man laying not but a few feet in front of him, lifeless and still. 

"Did you get it?" 

As if just remembering, Hyunjin looked around quickly. In all the commotion he had lost track of Jongin and wanted to make sure the younger boy was alright. 

"Wait, where's Jongin? Is he okay?" 

A sudden rush of panic raced through him once more as he searched for his young friend. Christopher cupped Hyunjin's face, turning his head so their eyes met. 

"Hey, he's fine. Another officer is with him right now, he's near the elevator." 

He tried to reassure Hyunjin, flashing a gentle reassuring smile in hopes it would help in some way. 

Glancing towards the elevator, Hyunjin caught sight of Jongin clinging to another officer while sobbing uncontrollably. He really hoped that the younger boy would be able to bounce back from this terrifying event. He could only imagine how traumatic it had been for Jongin, especially since it had been terrifying and very traumatic for himself. 

"Come on, I'll take you guys back to level two so you can get a breather from all this. I need to get your father as well." 

With the help of Christopher, Hyunjin stood up and gave Chris a small smile of thanks. As the pair moved over towards Jongin, Hyunjin's smile faded back into a frown. After what he saw, it was difficult to keep the smile on his face for too long. He helped Jongin up, keeping an arm securely around the boy's shoulders as Christoper escorted them into the elevator. Hyunjin turned around just as the elevator doors closed shut. In a quick blink, he could have swore that he saw something scurry from the deceased body to a nearby vent in the wall as the doors closed shut in front of him. 

Shaking his head, he hugged Jongin close while resting his head atop the younger male's. Everyone stood in an eerie silence not wanting say anything in fear of startling anyone within the elevator. Giving a minor jerk, the elevator descended back down to level two.

****** **** **** ******

After the trio had exited onto the second level of the station, Christopher led Hyunjin and Jongin back to Hyunjin's place. Opening the door, Hyunjin gently ushered Jongin inside the house hoping the familiar setting would bring some peace to him. Once he was certain that he would be okay for just a moment, Hyunjin turned around to face Christopher, letting out a soft sigh before forcing that small smile back onto his lips. 

"Thanks Chris, um. . .my dad is probably in a meeting with a few scientists. You wanted to speak with him, right?" 

"Ah, hey. . .it's no problem. Just doing my job, and yeah, I need to tell him about the incident with you two and the other guy." 

Nodding slowly, Hyunjin looked down at the ground only to quickly look back up towards Christopher. 

"I should probably get inside and make sure Jongin is okay." 

"Yeah, yeah, he was pretty shaken up."

Hyunjin nodded, hesitating briefly, he turned and started back into the house. Stopped only when his wrist was gently grasped, he turned to face Christopher once more. A confused look crossing over his face as he wondered why the older male was suddenly stopping him. 

"Wait, I wanted to ask you something." 

"Okay~" 

Letting go of Hyunjin's wrist, Christopher became slightly more serious making Hyunjin a little more anxious and curious as to what he wanted to ask him. 

"Back there with the guy, he had mentioned to 'Kill it'. Shortly after he went down, you had asked if we had 'killed it'. What did you mean?" 

Hyunjin bit his lower lip, glancing over his shoulder into the house. Jongin was sitting on the couch staring at the ground, motionless. Quickly turning back, he sighed heavily and gave Christopher an apologetic look. 

"I can't tell you right now, not here at least with Innie around. Meet me in the storage hangar tonight? I can tell you then." 

Confused at first, Christopher nodded to the minor request. It was probably best not to upset their younger friend anymore than he already was. 

Hyunjin returned the nod with one more apologetic smile, quickly turning and disappearing inside. The door slid shut, the air locks sounding as the door became held in place. Still confused, Christopher turned away and headed off to find out where Director Hwang was having his meeting. 

****** **** **** ******

Night had fallen over the space station, lights dimmed to give the illusion of the sun setting and darkness taking over as if on earth. Hyunjin had remained home, spending the entirety of the day keeping Jongin occupied and calm, taking his mind off the earlier incident. Eventually, it had begun getting late and Jongin had to return home himself. Finding it the perfect excuse to get out of the house himself, Hyunjin offered to walk Jongin home to make sure he got there alright. It may have been an excuse, but it was an excuse that also helped out a friend. Once he dropped the younger male off, Hyunjin slipped into the nearest elevator and made his way down to level three of the space station where he was to meet with Christopher in the storage hangar. 

As the elevator doors opened, Hyunjin poked his head out looking around before stepping out into the hangar. The sound of the proton generators running came from somewhere on level three, close by from what he could tell. It was amazing anyone could work down there with all that humming. The sound reverberated throughout the entire level, causing Hyunjin to imagine what would happen if they stopped working. The station would definitely be in trouble, so thank goodness to the engineers who kept them up and running. 

Walking further into the hangar, metal shelving units held rows upon rows of wooden crates. Each crate holding anything from clothing to food, even medical supplies that would give the station whatever it may need. His eyes shifted towards the stacks of crates, imagining how they would need far more than what they had if they were to accommodate more people in the future. Right now, that was seeming like a very big 'if'. 

"Hey. . ." 

So lost in thought, Hyunjin nearly jumped out of his skin at the simple phrase to catch his attention. He whipped around, looking for the person the voice belonged to. Actually, he knew who it belonged to, he was looking for that bright red hair that made the male stand out. As he searched, a high pitched whistle made him stop and look up. 

There on an upper shelf with his legs dangling down, was Christopher. He had probably sat there, silently watching him look over all the crates. 

"Come on up, there's room for one more." 

The amused smile made Hyunjin want to smack Christopher when he was able to reach him. Though, he also knew better, especially since Chris could stop him in a heartbeat and immobilize his efforts faster than he could blink. 

"Yeah, I'm coming." 

After figuring out how and a little help from Christopher, Hyunjin had managed to climb up and sit upon the metal shelving unit beside the older male. The two sat in a momentary silence, both knowing that their conversation was going to get serious really fast. 

"So, you wanna tell me what you were talking about earlier?"

"You mean what I saw?" 

"Yeah. . ." 

Another silent moment passed between the two males before Hyunjin sighed heavily and sat up straighter. He had been doing a lot of sighing a lot that evening, but who wouldn't after what he had seen?

"Look, I don't know what I saw, but I saw it. While the guy was holding onto me, there were these things. Leg-like things, spider legs, big and black coming out of his suit." 

"Spider legs?"

"Yes, it was like something out of a horror film." 

Hyunjin could tell Christopher wasn't buying anything that he was saying. The disbelief on his face told him so. 

"You sure you haven't been watching too many horror films? Your mind, as terrified as it was, could have made you see something that wasn't there." 

"Chris, I know what I saw. Large black spider-like legs were coming out of his suit. The man seemed just as terrified of them as I was." 

Christopher shook his head, only frustrating Hyunjin more. He thought Christopher would at least believe him to some extent. 

"If you don't believe me now, I'm not going to be able to convince you at any point. It was a mistake coming down here, I might as well save my breath and head back home." 

Hyunjin let out a defeated breath, turning and lowering himself back down to the ground. As his feet hit the ground, it echoed around the entire hangar, mixing with the sounds of the proton generators. 

"I'll talk to you later." 

Turning, Hyunjin waved and started towards the elevators. He almost missed the frustrated groan that came from Christopher if not for how loud it had been. 

"Jinnie! Wait, I may think this beyond believing, but if it will make you happy I'll go check what they found during the autopsy." 

Looking over his shoulder, Hyunjin glanced up towards the older male. 

"You do that, but there's something on this station and we all need to be careful and watch our backs." 

With his warning in place, Hyunjin turned back around, hit the button the elevator panel and waited for it to come down. Christopher waited till Hyunjin was on the elevator before running a hand through his hair and letting out a long slow breath. Everything he was told just sounded absolutely crazy. How was he supposed to believe something that sounded so ludicrous? As if protesting against what he couldn't believe, what he didn't believe, the station walls moaned and cried as the metal fought to stay connected. 

Christopher looked towards the ceiling and walls, wondering if ARK-779 was really safe enough to live on at this point. However, who was he to say what was safe and what wasn't? He was only the head of a military police squad after all. It wasn't like it was his job or anything to keep the people safe.


	4. Chapter 3

An hour had passed since Hyunjin had left him sitting alone in the storage hangar. Christopher had taken the elevator all the way up to the top -level one- where he knew the body from earlier had been taken. During that past hour, Christopher had been thinking quite a bit about what Hyunjin had said, about the body and if it were true or not about the creature he had seen. If there was something on the station, how would they actually find and detain it? How would they know how to destroy it? If something so small could kill one person, what could a swarm do to an entire station? If there was something, how many were actually there? Christopher had so many questions swirling within his mind, but had no way of actually answering them without raising suspicion of the people he was meant to protect. 

A huff of air escaped from Christopher as the elevator came to a sudden stop on level one of the space station. As the doors slid open, the scent of bleach and other cleaning products assaulted his senses. It smelt clean and filled with disinfectants, there was no mistaking that he was in the right place. 

Stepping out of the elevator, Christopher was welcomed by the bright light bouncing off the white paneled walls. Everything looked as if it had been freshly scrubbed down, no traces of any grime or dust was visible anywhere. He wondered how many times a day the labs were scrubbed down just to keep everything clean and disinfected. 

He barely made it out of the elevator and down the corridor before someone was calling out to him and grabbing his immediate attention. Slowly, Christopher came to a stop, turning his attention towards the person coming towards him. 

"Is there something I can help you with, officer?" 

Christopher's gaze landed on a man wearing a white lab coat. The white of his coat was a stark contrast against the black dress shirt and matching black slacks he was wearing. is hair was a soft golden blonde, parted slightly off to the left. The man's smile was warm and welcoming, but that wasn't the reason Christopher felt immediately relaxed at the man's presence. No, it was because he had grown up with the very male that was walking towards him. The two of them closer than brothers, sadly, he hadn't seen the man since he became head of the science division. 

"Officer? Are we using formalities now. . .doctor?"

The scientist chuckled at Christopher's sudden tease, glad after all this time the two of them could still be so comfortable with each other. Upon reaching Chris, the head scientist reached out and embraced his friend, wrapping his arms around him in a hug that Christopher gladly returned. 

"It's good to see you Chris, but why do I get the feeling you aren't here for a casual visit?" 

Pulling away, Christopher laughed softly, afraid his voice would carry and echo throughout the empty hallways if he laughed too loudly. 

"This late at night, I should be sleeping. So, your assumption is correct, I am not just visiting to visit." 

"I see, so. . .what is it I can help you with then?" 

Christopher hesitated momentarily in asking what he wanted. Despite being leader of his own squad, it still felt weird to be asking about a body that may have already been destroyed after autopsy. 

"Woojin, is the body that was brought up here earlier today still here? I need to see it and speak with the person who performed the autopsy." 

Having went from light hearted to serious in an instant, only peaked Woojin's curiosity even more. Why was Christopher so interested in a corpse? Figuring it wouldn't be a good idea to stall his friend or ask about it, he nodded ever so slightly. 

"Yeah, the body is still here. It's in lab three, one of our younger technicians has taken on the task of doing the autopsy. His name is Minho, and he's pretty thorough at what he does." 

Motioning in the direction of lab three, Woojin led Christopher down a side corridor to the very lab the body rested in. 

The lights from inside shown through the shatter proof glass window revealing the occupants within. The body itself lay upon a metallic exam table, a single white cloth covering it's lower half. A single scientist moved slowly around the body, voice recorder in hand as he spoke diligently about his findings. Not a single detail was going to be missed or forgotten. Woojin knocked on the glass startling the male within the lab. His gaze shot up faster than a speeding meteor before meeting with theirs, the glass the only thing separating them at the moment. 

Woojin waved at the male, he was now assuming was Minho, and coaxed him over from the autopsy he was performing. Quickly, the brunette set down the voice recorder and rushed over to the door, pressing a button on the keypad from inside. The door slid open, the scent of death rushing out of the room and mixing with the overbearing smell of disinfectants. It made Christopher's stomach churn, however, Woojin and Minho seemed as if they weren't phased by the scent one bit. He could only assume it was due to the fact they worked among those very scents on the daily. 

"Is something wrong, sir?" 

"Oh no, Officer Bang just wanted to speak with you about the body." 

For a brief moment, Minho glanced quietly towards Christopher as if determining if the officer could be trusted, only turning his attention back onto Woojin. He gave a curt nod to his lead before motioning for Christopher to follow him inside. 

"I'll leave you two to it. Chris, make sure you stop by and chat a bit before you go. We have a lot to catch up on." 

"Yeah, I'll make sure to do so. Don't overwork yourself, Woojin." 

Turning, Christopher walked past his childhood friend and followed Minho into the lab. The smell was worse inside than it was outside, he wasn't sure how he was going to focus with the scent of death swirling around them. Woojin walked off heading back to his earlier destination, the door closing behind him cutting Christopher and Minho off from him, giving them the privacy they needed to talk. 

****** **** **** ******

Hyunjin wasn't really sure when he had fallen asleep, all he remembered was lying in bed staring into the darkness. His thoughts had been all over the place and every little noise had caused him to jump. It must have been pretty late into the night, or very early in the morning, because he had slept right through his alarm that morning. He was awakened by the sound of knocking somewhere in the house. Assuming it was coming from his bedroom door, he opened his eyes slowly to the dim lighting within his room. His dog was curled up against his side still sleeping as well, which surprised Hyunjin since Kkami always seemed to be up before him. 

As the knocking persisted, Hyunjin sat up with a groan while rubbing the sleep from his eyes, his dog stirring awake beside him. Lazily, he pushed his blankets off his legs and stood up out of bed. 

"I'm coming!" 

He called out, taking a couple steps forward before making a sudden halt. His attention drifted down towards the floor, a shiver racing right up his spine at the sudden squish under his foot. Hyunjin turned his attention onto Kkami, who was just jumping off his bed and landing on the floor behind him. 

"Really? You couldn't wake me to take you out?" 

The small dog looked up at his owner, cocking his head to the side as if not understanding the question. Hyunjin rolled his eyes, however, he turned back to the door just as the knocking stopped. He assumed his father was trying to wake him up, had he finally given up on trying? 

Walking up to the door, stepping on the heel of his foot so as not to get the mess on his foot anywhere else, Hyunjin opened his bedroom door. However, he was very surprised by what was standing there on the other side. 

Nothing.

Resting his hands on either side of the door frame, he leaned out of his room and looked around. The house was silent, not even the sound of his father moving about could be heard. Was he even home? 

"Dad!?"

Hesitantly, Hyunjin called out into the silence and waited for a response. When none came, he slowly left his room and called out once more. 

"Dad, you home!?" 

Again, no answer was given. Silence was the only response Hyunjin was welcomed with, which made him very uneasy. If his father wasn't knocking on his door, who was? 

His eyes quickly snapped upwards, a scurrying from up above catching his attention. The sound was like something scratching and tapping along the metal plates that made up the ceiling of the house. The only thing he knew to be up there was the ventilation system and electrical wiring. They've never had rats or other animals up there, this was space after all. His mind immediately went back to what he had seen the other evening, his stomach knotting at the very thought. It couldn't have been. . .

The sound lessened til became completely silent once more. Hyunjin was frozen in fear, it taking a few seconds to snap himself out of his petrified state. He chewed his lower lip in thought, forcing himself to hobble his way towards the bathroom to clean his foot off, but was once again stopped by a sudden knocking. His heart nearly jumped out of his chest as someone began banging on the front door of his home. He was once more frozen in place as he whipped around to stare at the door across the room looking much like a deer in headlights. He only relaxed when he heard someone actually call out from the other side. 

"Jinnie-hyung?" 

A slow heavy sigh slipped through Hyunjin's lips as he shifted course and hobbled towards the front door. Opening said door, he smiled gently upon seeing Jongin standing there. He was glad to see his young friend a bit calmer than he had been the previous night. However, he still seemed a bit on edge, but definitely a lot less than what he had been before hand. 

"You said we were going to meet for breakfast today, but it's already time for lunch." 

A pout had formed on Jongin's face, Hyunjin taking a brief moment to search his brain for the moment he had agreed to breakfast. Of course, he had agreed to such when he dropped Jongin off the prior night before going to meet with Christopher. 

"That I did, and I am so sorry, Innie. I never meant to not show up." 

"It's okay. Did you just wake up, though? You're still in your pajama's, and what's that on your foot?" 

Nodding, Hyunjin looked down at his attire and the mess that covered the bottom of his foot. 

"Yeah, I had a late night and Kkami left me. . ." 

As he stared at the stuff on his foot, the light finally revealing what was on it, looked far more darker and slick then what a surprise from his dog would have been. A frown had formed upon his face as he turned without hesitation, heading straight for the bathroom. Jongin was hot on his trail, even as he switched on the bathroom light and hopped up onto the sink. He raised his foot, resting it upon the knee of his other leg, getting a closer look at what he had actually stepped in. 

"What is that?" 

"I-I don't know." 

Hyunjin slowly shook his head as he reached for the towel beside the sink he sat on. The bottom of his foot was covered in black slime that had a bit of a shine to it when the light hit it. It almost had the consistency of a thicker oil, and the way it shined reminded him of the rainbow sheen that oil had when it sat atop water. His face scrunched up in disgust as he diligently cleaned off his foot, tossing the towel in the trash once he had finished. 

"That was disgusting. I've got to clean that off my floor, too." 

"Your floor? As in, the floor in your room?" 

Nodding slowly, it took a minute for Hyunjin to realize what Jongin was getting at. He jumped off the sink and carefully pushed by the younger male, rushing back towards his room. Quickly he flicked on the light and his eyes went directly to the pile of black slime that he had stepped in. However, it wasn't just the pile of slime that caught his attention. It was the trail of slime that went from the now squished pile, leading around his room and up the side wall. From the wall the slime trail disappeared right into the air vent, the black substance oozing out from the grating, dripping down onto the floor below it. 

Hyunjin was starting to feel extremely unsettled, something had been in his room and left a large mystery surprise for him right in the center of his room. Images of that spider-like creature coming from that man's space suit instantly filled his mind. He remembered the black blur he had caught scurrying across the ground as the elevator doors closed between them the previous night. 

"There's something on the station, isn't there?" 

Looking towards Jongin, Hyunjin could see the fear rising back into the younger boy's eyes. Turning, he wrapped him in his arms and held him tightly. 

"I'll talk to Chris and my father about this. Don't think about it too much, okay. It could be nothing more than an oil leak somewhere up above." 

Hyunjin only hoped he was being reassuring in some way. So, when Jongin nodded, he smiled softly and nodded back. Slowly pulling away, Hyunjin placed a reassuring smile onto his face when he had an idea come to him. 

"Hey, let me clean this up and get dressed, we can go get lunch after. How does that sound?" 

"Okay, it sounds good." 

Though it was quiet, Hyunjin was glad that Jongin had agreed to go to lunch with him. Plus, he did kinda owe the kid lunch after skipping breakfast that morning. 

****** **** **** ******

It didn't take too long for Hyunjin to clean up the goopy mess and get ready for the day. He had placed the bulk of the goop in a container, planning on handing it over to Chris or maybe even the science division for testing. They could probably tell him exactly what it was that had been in his room. In the meantime, he slid the container under his bed and left with Jongin to head to the mess hall where they would be having lunch. 

The pair of friends had gotten a couple of burgers, fries and their respective choice of drinks. Hyunjin was glad to see Jongin relaxing and talking freely about something that didn't pertain to last nights events or the goop in his room. He had just put a fry in his mouth, smiling at what was being suggest by the younger male, nodding along with it. 

". . .we can go back to my place and just hang out. I liked hanging out last night, it had been awhile since we had a movie night like that. We can always play games or something to change it up, too." 

Hyunjin slowly nodded, his attention having been drawn to something behind Jongin. The younger male obviously noticed, sighing in slight annoyance as he placed his drink back on the table. 

"Hyung, are you listening to anything I'm saying?" 

When no response came, Jongin reached forward and leaned over the table, tapping Hyunjin on the arm. 

"Hyunjin?" 

"Hm, what?"

Hyunjin looked towards Jongin, catching the younger male's exasperated sigh. 

"What?" 

He asked once more, his attention slowly returning to whatever was happening behind Jongin. The younger male's gaze drifted over his shoulder, searching the crowd for what his hyung had been looking at. However, it hadn't been too difficult to find out what that something was. Or in this case, someone. 

Standing at the end of one of the tables, Christopher was talking to one of the residence upon the station. When the person looked around, their attention falling onto them, he knew what or who Chris was looking for. The person Christopher had been talking to pointed in their direction causing Christopher to look in their direction as well with a gentle smile. 

Thanking the guy, Christopher quickly made his way over to the two males. Jongin turning back around and propping his head up with his hand, Chris coming to stand behind him. 

"Hey guys, sorry if I'm interrupting anything." 

"Oh no, you're more than welcome to join us if you'd like." 

Christopher smiled at the offer given by Hyunjin, but shook his head had as he rested his hands on Jongin's shoulders. 

"Actually, I'm here for another reason. I need to speak with you, Jinnie. If Jongin doesn't mind me borrowing you for a bit, that is." 

Looking towards the younger boy, Christopher gave him a curious look. Jongin, however, forced his smile and waved his free hand in the air as if brushing off the question. 

"It's fine, I've got things to do once I'm done." 

"You sure, Innie? I thought we were. . ." 

Jongin smiled at Hyunjin and nodded. 

"Yeah, I'll box your lunch up if you aren't back before I finish. You can eat it later." 

Nodding, Hyunjin stood up and made his way around the table. 

"I'll be back as soon as possible." 

Christopher and Hyunjin walked over to a quiet corner of the mess hall. It was Hyunjin who jumped right into the conversation, turning a curious look onto Christopher. 

"What's up?" 

"I talked with the guy doing the autopsy. . ."

Immediately, Hyunjin became more curious and his full attention was on Chris. Nothing else mattered in that mess hall aside from what Christopher had found out at that autopsy. 

"And. . ." 

"And. . .It's a lot." 


	5. Chapter 4

"So, what did you find out?" 

Christopher looked around the room momentarily, making sure that no one was standing close enough to hear. Looking back towards Hyunjin, he began to explain what had been explained to him by Minho. 

**~FLASHBACK~**

_Minho walked across the lab, stopping to stand beside the dead body laying on his exam table. Christopher slowed his pace just a couple feet away, not sure how his stomach would handle standing beside the deceased male._

_"So, what can I help you with officer?"_

_Looking from the body to Minho, Christopher straightened up just a bit getting more serious and into the questioning._

_"I was curious if you found anything out about the body."_

_"Well, depends on what you're looking for and wanting to know about the deceased."_

_"Anything out of the ordinary."_

_Nodding quickly, Minho moved around the body, seeming almost excited about being able to explain his findings to someone._

_"Okay, there are a couple of things I don't understand about what I found. However, let's start out with the most obvious of findings."_

_Pointing towards the spots on the deceased male's face, Christopher was forced to move a little closer so he could get a better look while Minho began explaining why he didn't understand the injuries._

_"These spots seem to be all over the body in random locations. At first glance, anyone doing the autopsy on this man would assume he had a bad case of necrotizing fasciitis, or NF for short. . ."_

_"That's that flesh eating disease, right?"_

_"Yes, that's exactly what it is. I thought that he had NF at first and was dying of a very painful case of septicemia. Upon looking closer though, that couldn't have been the case here. Each of these wounds don't have any characteristics of NF, aside from the flesh being gone. Not to mention, why allow someone on board the station knowing they have NF?"_

_Christopher looked confused, but still rather interested as he listened to Minho speak very animatedly about his findings. Why it didn't make sense and how it seemed really out of place for someone on the station, or even out of place for the diagnosis itself. Chris had been very attentive to what was being said, even if half of it he didn't understand._

_"What characteristics would NF show? I mean, it looks like it's eating away his face. Also, is it possible that he didn't have NF before entering the station?"_

_"All good question, officer. . ."_

_"Call me Chris."_

_". . .Chris, okay."_

_Minho nodded slowly before continuing._

_"Anyways, he could have picked up Necrotizing Fasciitis here on the station itself. The disease itself is caused by several different kinds of bacteria entering the blood stream by a cut, burn or even an insect bite. With insect bites being out of the question, I searched for cuts or burns that might have gotten infected, but I found nothing."_

_Minho had begun pointing at certain areas and motioning to the body while explaining. Christopher could only nod, thankful that the young scientist was using words he could understand rather than the doctor lingo that most scientists or doctors used when explaining things._

_"And the issue with the characteristics?"_

_"Right, the bacteria would have cleanly eaten away at the skin, turned the infection area red or even purple before the skin died completely. However, the edges along these injuries are frayed and appear as if someone or something was trying to eat him alive. That's not all. . ."_

_"What else is there?"_

_Looking slightly disturbed, Minho put on a fresh pair of gloves and grabbed a scalpel off the nearby metal tray. Christopher's face screwed up in disgust as Minho sliced down the center of the corpses torso. His blade moved along the very line he had just recently stitched up to close the deceased male up. The sickening wet sound the body made as it was being pulled open made Christopher shiver and his stomach to lurch. Shouldn't the body be dried out by now? Why was it making that squelching noise?_

_"I'm surprised that this man was even still alive when you got to him. Before your boys loaded him with lead, he should have died from this long before."_

_Motioning Christopher over, Minho turned his attention to the interior of the body._

_"What am I looking at?"_

_Christopher inquired as he inched his way over. Standing opposite of Minho on the other side of the exam table, he frowned as he stared at the body that seemed to be filled with a black substance._

_"That's the thing, you're looking at what should be organs. There are none present, they seemed to have been completely liquefied into nothing."_

_"you seem pretty perplexed about this."_

_"I am. Even with NF, the organs shouldn't be soup or black like this. I heard the man was outside the station prior to being found, but even so, that wouldn't have boiled his organs into liquid. It's too cold out in space to do that, regardless of circumstances."_

_Lifting his gaze towards Minho, curiousness had settled in, wondering what the young scientist was thinking had happened. He was only praying that it didn't validate what he had been told no more than an hour prior. Something in his stomach though, was telling him that's exactly what he was going to be told._

_"That same black gooey substance his organs seemed to turn into, it's smeared all over the inside of the spacesuit he came in. Something was inside his suit, eating this man alive. Since whatever it was isn't among the suit or body contents, you have a rogue creature running around this station somewhere. That's the only conclusion I can come to."_

**~END FLASHBACK~**

"So, I was right!?"

Hyunjin exclaimed in both excitement and horror. This just confirmed his suspicions of what he had saw. What had made the black goopey mess within his room, and what had possibly been skittering around in his ceiling. 

"Yeah, you were right and that means we have a very big problem on our hands. One I've got to take care of immediately." 

"How are you going to take care of it? There's only one on the station, but that's a lot of area to cover, even for a full military platoon." 

"I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I still have yet to get some sleep, so my brain is still trying to process all this. We know nothing about this creature, how it acts, what it looks like fully, how it even reproduces. What if it has already multiplied?"

Scrubbing a hand over his face and through his hair, Christopher let out a tired sigh. There was quite a bit he had to take into consideration, figure out, and so little time to do so. Hyunjin could tell Chris was beyond tired, he was even more surprised that he had skipped sleeping just to figure out about the man that had passed away the previous night. There had to have been other reasons why the officer before him would have stayed up till now, especially since there were a few good out in between the time he left him in the supply hangar and now. 

"Chris, you need sleep. Please, go. . ." 

"Hey! Chris!" 

Cut off in the middle of his sentence, Hyunjin turned his attention towards the person calling out for Christopher. They didn't sound too happy, either. 

Across the mess hall, the scientist he had nearly ran into the other day was making his way over. Hyunjin straightened up, watching the man storm across the mess hall towards them, passing through the crowd of people. Christopher slowly turned around, his eyes widening in surprise to see Minho stalking towards them. 

"Minho!" 

"Oh, don't Minho me, I want my recorder back. I need it for my notes." 

Assuming by the reaction given, Minho was the scientist Christopher had spoken to earlier. Hyunjin looked between the two males before his eyes landed on Christopher curiously. 

"Did you take his recorder?" 

Reaching into his pocket, Christopher retrieved the small recorder from within. He held it up for both the younger males to see and glanced off to the side nonchalantly. A tired yet cheeky smirk formed upon his lips as the recorder was immediately snatched out of his hand. 

"I needed it for my notes." 

"You could have asked, I would have gotten you a copy once I was finished. I searched for hours for this recorder, I had to write down the remainder of my findings." 

Pocketing the voice recorder in the pocket of his lab coat, Minho glared lightly at Christopher momentarily. Slowly, he turned his attention onto Hyunjin who had now been standing quietly. About to apologize for interrupting, Minho halted as sudden recognition hit him. 

"Oh, you're the guy from yesterday, outside the elevator. 

Hyunjin smiled and softly nodded his head in response. 

"That would be me, Hwang Hyunjin, nice to meet you." 

"Lee Minho, and hey, sorry for nearly plowing you over. We were all in a bit of a rush, we all got stuck in the lab for a bit." 

Nervously, Minho laughed as he scrubbed the back of his neck. However, Hyunjin shook his head and chuckled. 

"Hey, don't worry about it. I should have moved sooner knowing someone could have been using the elevator. I was just a bit distracted I guess." 

"Yeah, anyways, I'm sorry to have to cut this short. I have to get back to work, maybe we can get together sometime?" 

"Oh, yeah, that sounds great. Wait, before you go, I was going to bring something up to the lab that I found in my this morning. I think it has to do with the man that passed away yesterday." 

Minho and Christopher shared a quick worried glanced between one another before turning their attention back onto Hyunjin. 

"What did you find exactly?" 

"That's the thing, I don't know what I found. It was black and. . ." 

Hyunjin was cut off by the sound of a nearby explosion and sudden rush of wind from somewhere. Everyone ducked their heads as the sudden sound of a sucking scream roared over the sudden screams of the people. Their arms covering their heads to keep from being hit by the few items swirling around in the mess hall. 

Slowly, as the sound and air died down, everyone opened their eyes and lifted their heads to have a look around. The lights were flickering ever so slightly as they decided whether or not they wanted to stay on or off. Hyunjin looked terrified and confused as he glanced around. Christopher and Minho seeming just as confused and worried as he did. His attention went from the mess hall to Chris and Minho. 

"What in the world was that?" 

"I don't know, but I need to go check it out. I'll get a hold of you two later." 

Christopher turned, running from the mess hall and out into the corridor. Hyunjin and Minho both watched as he turned and disappeared around the corner, heading off in the direction the explosion had come from. 

"We. . .Maybe we should go see if we can help." 

Speaking quietly, Hyunjin turned his gaze towards Minho. Their eyes met and for a second, the older male had to think of what they should do. 

"Um, I don't think we should get in the way of his work." 

"Yeah, maybe you're right." 

Both males looked beyond the people and towards the entrance of the mess hall. Still stunned from the surprise blast, neither were expecting the next one that came seconds later. Though smaller, it still shook the station just as much as the larger one that had resounded around the area. Quickly, Hyunjin and Minho shared a wide eyed glance. Without hesitation, the two males ran out of the mess hall and in the direction Christopher had disappeared in, a sudden panic rushing through them hoping no one had gotten hurt. Yet, at the same time, there was no doubt something horrible was truly going on. 


End file.
